Editing Oregano (section)

==Description==
Oregano is a [[perennial]],<ref name="W21">{{cite web |title=Origanum vulgare L. oregano |url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ORVU |access-date=30 January 2011 |publisher=Plants Database, United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref><ref name="W1">{{cite web |title=Growing Culinary Herbs in Ontario |url=http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/02-049.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719222438/http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/02-049.htm |archive-date=19 July 2010 |access-date=30 January 2011 |publisher=Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs}}</ref> although it is grown as an [[Annual plant|annual]] in colder climates, as it often does not survive the winter.<ref name="B266">{{cite book |last=Peter |first=K. V. |title=Handbook of herbs and spices |publisher=Woodhead Publishing Limited |year=2004 |isbn=1-85573-721-3 |volume=2 |location=Abington Hall, Abington |page=219 |chapter=14.3.1 Growth habit of wild oregano populations |access-date=30 January 2011 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jITovbFEuO8C&pg=PA215}}</ref><ref name="aW1">{{cite web |date=September 2009 |title=Herbs |url=http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=b1d5ac77-718e-45d1-9aec-ccc6d293e4a1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003060853/http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=b1d5ac77-718e-45d1-9aec-ccc6d293e4a1 |archive-date=3 October 2011 |access-date=30 January 2011 |publisher=Government of Saskatchewan}}</ref>[[File:Origanum vulgare inflorescence - Keila.jpg|thumb|Inflorescence]]

It grows to {{Convert|90|cm}} tall and {{Convert|50|cm|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="tfb">{{Cite book |last=Francis-Baker |first=Tiffany |title=Concise Foraging Guide |date=2021 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |isbn=978-1-4729-8474-6 |series=[[The Wildlife Trusts]] |location=London |pages=87}}</ref> The [[leaves]] are spade-shaped and olive-green. The flowers are purple, pink or white,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6vasb_v5BUkC&pg=PA17 |page=17 |title=The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices |author1=Sara Engram |author2=Katie Luber |author3=Kimberly Toqe |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |year=2009|isbn=978-0-7407-9062-1 }}</ref> {{Convert|4-7|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long and grouped in clusters.<ref name="tfb" />

Oregano is related to the herb [[marjoram]], sometimes being referred to as wild marjoram.

=== Chemistry ===
Oregano contains [[polyphenol]]s, including numerous [[flavones]].<ref name="Dragland2003">{{cite journal |last1=Dragland |first1=Steinar |last2=Senoo |first2=Haruki |last3=Wake |first3=Kenjiro |last4=Holte |first4=Kari |last5=Blomhoff |first5=Rune |date=1 May 2003 |title=Several culinary and medicinal herbs are important sources of dietary antioxidants |url=http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12730411 |journal=Journal of Nutrition |volume=133 |issue=5 |pages=1286–90 |doi=10.1093/jn/133.5.1286 |issn=0022-3166 |pmid=12730411 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tair |first1=Asma |last2=Weiss |first2=Erika-Krisztina |last3=Palade |first3=Laurentiu Mihai |last4=Loupassaki |first4=Sofia |last5=Makris |first5=Dimitris P. |last6=Ioannou |first6=Efstathia |last7=Roussis |first7=Vassilios |last8=Kefalas |first8=Panagiotis |year=2014 |title=Origanum species native to the island of Crete: in vitro antioxidant characteristics and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry identification of major polyphenolic components |journal=[[Natural Product Research]] |volume=28 |issue=16 |pages=1284–7 |doi=10.1080/14786419.2014.896011 |pmid=24635145 |s2cid=42500633}}</ref>

The essential oil of oregano is composed primarily of [[monoterpenoid]]s and [[monoterpene]]s, with the relative concentration of each compound varying widely across geographic origin and other factors. Over 60 different compounds have been identified, with the primary ones being [[carvacrol]] and [[thymol]] ranging to over 80%, while lesser abundant compounds include {{nowrap|[[p-cymene|''p''-cymene]]}}, {{nowrap|[[γ-terpinene]]}}, caryophyllene, [[spathulenol]], [[germacrene D]], [[β-fenchyl alcohol]] and {{nowrap|[[δ-terpineol]]}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Teixeira |first1=Bárbara |last2=Marques |first2=António |last3=Ramos |first3=Cristina |last4=Serrano |first4=Carmo |last5=Matos |first5=Olívia |last6=Neng |first6=Nuno R |last7=Nogueira |first7=José M F |last8=Saraiva |first8=Jorge Alexandre |last9=Nunes |first9=Maria Leonor |year=2013 |title=Chemical composition and bioactivity of different oregano (''Origanum vulgare'') extracts and essential oil |journal=[[Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture]] |volume=93 |issue=11 |pages=2707–14 |bibcode=2013JSFA...93.2707T |doi=10.1002/jsfa.6089 |pmid=23553824}}</ref>

Drying of the plant material affects both quantity and distribution of volatile compounds, with methods using higher heat and longer drying times having greater negative impact. A sample of fresh whole plant material found to contain 33 g/kg dry weight (3.1 g/kg wet) decreased to below a third after warm-air convection drying. Much higher concentrations of volatile compounds are achieved towards the end of the growing season.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Figiel |first1=Adam |last2=Szumny |first2=Antoni |last3=Gutiérrez-Ortíz |first3=Antonio |last4=Carbonell-Barrachina |first4=Ángel A. |year=2010 |title=Composition of oregano essential oil (Origanum vulgare) as affected by drying method |journal=[[Journal of Food Engineering]] |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=240–7 |doi=10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2010.01.002}}</ref>